Apparatus for expressing wax from petroleum-distillates



W. C. AND F. E. WELLS.

APPARATUS FOR EXPRESSING WAX FROM PETROLEUM DISTILLATES. APPLICATIONFILED APR. I2, 1919.

1 44,745. Patented June 29, 1920 2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

FIG. 1.

W @uveutozf W. C. AND F. E. WELLS. I APPARATUS FOR EXPRESSING WAX ERONIPETROLEUM DISTILLATES APPLICATION FILED APR.-12, 1919.

1 344,745. Patented June 29, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

,WM (460% WWW M WW.

of all the parts is fixed.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- WILLET G. WELLS AND FRANK E. WELLS,COLUMBUS, OHIO.

APPARATUSFOR EXPRESSING WAX FROM PETROLEUM-DISTILLATES.

Specification of Letters Patent.- Patented J 11110 29, 1920.

Original application filed April 28, 1914, Serial No. 833,897.. Dividedand this application filed April 12,

1919. Serial To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that we, \VILLn'r C. harms. and FRANK E. WVIJLLs, citizensof the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklinand State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inApparatus for Expressing lVaX from Petroleum-Distillates, of which thefollowing is a' specification.

This application for patent is a division of application Serial Number833897 filed by us on April 23, 1914, for process of eX- pressing waxfrom petroleum distillates, the division being made for the purpose ofcovering the apparatus in'this application and permitting the originalapplication to be prosecuted separately for the process thereindescribed and claimed, the appa-' ratusbeing clearly disclosed anddescribed in the said original application.

The invention relates to apparatus for expressing waX from heavy visciddistillates of petroleum, shale. oils, and the like.

The apparatus universally employed for accomplishing this purposeincludes filtering pads spaced apart by rings thereby formingcompartments for the collection of the wax or congealed substancebetween the pads, the liquid passing off through. the pads. These padsare composed of a metal plate having a central opening and on each sideof this plate arearranged plates having a registering central openingand perforations distributed over the plate, these perforations having aprotruding edge or lip which prevents the outer plate from ly-' ing fiatagainst'the inner one. Over these perforated plates is placed a strongand thick closely woven cotton cloth having a registering centralopening and completely covering the face of the-perforated plate.- Thefilter pad thus constructed is set on edge in the frame of a press, aspacing ring is placed on edge in contact therewith, then another pad isplaced and another ring, and so on. When the press has been built up inthis manner to the capacity desired fas-- tening means are applied andthe position The distillate to be treated is chilled in its course froma pressure pump to the press distillate forces the liquid portionthereof through the cloth strainer through the perforations and itdrains ofl downwardly between the plates. The wa'x of course remains inthe compartments. Theoretically the entire face of each pad is availableas a strainer surface, and if the practice followed the theory therewould be no need of improvement. But, on the contrary, the effectivenessis much diminished by the flattening of the lip like edges of theperforations against the central plate under the pressure needed to makethe press firm,- and between the threads. If the cloth is closely Iwoven, as would be the case in this art, great pressure is required to'force the distillate through it and consequently great strength ofmaterial is needed to sustain the pressure over the span of theperforations.

Since in this use the cloth must be strong and no material alterationcan be made in the apparatus at present used for this purpose, specialtreatment must be given to the distillates to enable them to be passedthrough the press without injury. to the press. Accordingly theuniversal practice by decomposition to about 60 viscosity to press them,and this denotes a loss of threefourths of the natural value of theundecomposed distillates of the same petroleum.

Applicants have devised a press which will obviate this loss and thedifficulties attendant upon the use of the kind of press describedabove. They build a' heavy woven is to reduce the viscosity of thedistillates wire central frame work for the filtering pad and over thesame on each side place successive layers of increasingly finer wovenwire, the outer layer giving ample support to the straining clothwithout materially obstructing the passage ofliquid there-" through.Through this wire structure there, is a central opening similar to thatin the solid pad above described. Over this wire frame is placed acloselywoven-woolen cloth in the same manner as the cotton cloth isdisposed on the pad above described, and

the filtering pads and spacing rings are arranged in the same manneralso, and the distillates are fed into the press for treatment in thesame manner. The results however are vastly different and in favor of betwisted it remains perviorus to liquids and forms the best conceivablestralner to separate the amorphous .or Vaseline congealing portion ofthe distillates. The fine wire covering of the frame of the pad givesample support to the woolen cloth without materially obstructing thepassage'of liquid therethrough, and the wire'structure for the frame ofthe pad gives unobstructed drainage for the liquid which passes throughthe-cloth strainer.

The method of converting petroleums and shale, oils into commercialproducts without impairment of their constitutions as described, forlnstance, in our Patent No.v

877620 issued January 28, 1908, produces wax distillates of more thanten times the viscosity possible to be pressed by the above describedpresses in common use; to prepare these viscid wax distillates for themarket with the presses in common use requires decomposition by heatwhereby the distillates lose more than three fourths of their intrinsicvalue, and their broken substances must then be evaporated oifsufficiently to form a residue having thedegree of viscosity to meetrequirements.

The apparatus we use may now be briefly described. In the drawingshereto attached and hereby made a part of this specification, Figure 1shows our press. in side elevation; Fig. 2 shows the filter mat withparts broken away to disclose the layered construction; Fig. 3 shows thering spacer; Fig. 4. shows a section of the mat and contiguous ringspacers on a greatly enlarged scale for the purpose of illustration; andFig. .5 shows an end view of the apparatus partly broken away.

Referring to the drawings the press frame supports are shown at 1 and 1,the sup port 1 carrying the platen 8 which may preferably be integralwith the frame. Frame rods 2 and 3 are mounted atone end in platen 8 andat the other end in the frame support 1 Tie rods l, 5, 6 and 7,

in such number as may be desired, are secured at one end in the platen 8and are inserted at their other ends through the platen 9 which ismovably mounted on the frame rods 2 and 3. The filter pad 10 is composedof the layers of wire of different fineness ofmesh shown at 11, 12 and13, and additional layers of progressively increasing fineness maybeused if desired; both faces of this built up .pad are covered with aclosely woven woolen cloth appearing at 14.- and' 15. A central openihg16 pierces the filter pad 10 for the admissionof the dis tillates andalso for compressed air for drying the residue if desired.

These pads'are set on edge vertically for use andbetween each two -isarranged a spae- '1ng ring 17 to separate the pads thereby providing acompartmentintowhich the distillate; is fed under pressure forfiltration and in which the wax residue is deposited. The ring 17 isprovided with the diametrically disposed rods 17. and 17 which giverigid lateral support to the body of the filter pad and prevent anywarping or sagging of the pad'under the pressure of the distillate orthe air used in the process.- Hangers 18 and 19 takeover the frame rods2 and,3,to position the spacing ring thereon and similarhangers areshown at 20 and 21 for the pads.

When the desired. number of pads and ring spacers have been placed inthe frame the end platen 9 is forced into moving contact with them bythe hydraulic cylinder 22 and when they are firmly positioned the nutsare run up on the tie rods 4, 5 and so on to fix the platen. I The pressis now ready for use and the distillate is introducedthrough the opening24. in the platen 9 into the central longitudinal registering openingsdesignated at 16, whence it passes into the ring spaces and under thepressure is filtered through the woolen covering of the pads and throughthe wire layers and the resulting liquid drains down through the wirestructure and drips out at the bottom of thexpress into the pan ,orreceiver 25. The pressure applied to the distillate may be regulated asdesired to produce the proper degree of dryness in the waxthus'expressed. Ordinarily the introduction of distillat'e' is stoppedbefore the run is com-' pleted and afuniform degree of dryness isgiven'to the charge by the use of compressed air introduced in the same.manner as the distillate. The press is then knocked down, the waxremoved and the. press may then be set up for another run, and this maybe repeated, obviously, as often'as required.

The increased beneficial results of the use of our press over thepresses in common use both in respect to its'eifectiveness in dealingwith distillates and also in respect to the character of distillatewhich it successfully operates upon, have been above set forth, and wedesire to have the benefit of any variations in the construction of theapparatus which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

l/Ve claim 1. A filtering pad comprising a frame of coarse woven wire, acovering of finer woven wire imposed thereon, and a woolen fabricstrainer disposed upon the face of said cov-' ering, which structureuniformly and adequately supports said strainer and affords unrestricteddrainage therefor.

2. A filtering pad for a filter press comprising a frame of coarse wovenwlre, a cov'- crlng of finer woven wire imposed thereon, a woolen fabricstrainer disposed upon the face of said covering which structureuniformly and adequately supports said strainer and affords unrestricteddrainage therefor, said pad having a transverse opening thc rethrough,and suspending means for said pad carried on said frame.

witnesses.

\VILLET C. WELLS. FRANK E. WELLS.

Witnesses:

GEoRcnM. PARSONS, WILLE'I H. WELLS.

